Allergan Sued Over Dry Eye Drug Marketing Tactics

It’s accused of trying to block out competition.

Shire Plc has filed a lawsuit accusing Allergan Plc of antitrust violations in connection with Allergan’s dry eye medication Restasis, Reuters reports.

The lawsuit claims that Allergan’s goal was to maintain Restasis’ position in Medicare prescription drug plans. Allergan sought to prevent the Shire drug Xiidra from getting a foothold in that market, according to the suit.

Shire claims that Allergan used “bundled discounts, exclusive dealing, coercion and interference to unlawfully ‘block’ Shire from competing with it.”

Allergan wants to “maintain its monopoly in the Part D market at all costs,” according to Shire.

An Allergan spokesman told Reuters the lawsuit was without merit.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey.

Read more at Reuters